Chapter 40 - Jo
Shackles and Friendship
Chapter 40 - Jo
Edited (Eventually) by AndyGrey, Hollyhock
Pre-read (Eventually) by AndyGrey, Hollyhock
“These are the Elements of Harmony?” Crea’s eyes fell on each mare as she studied them. They were grouped together on one side of the room while Crea and Inquest were on the opposite. The main floor of the tree structure, a library, was the only room large enough for them all to mingle comfortably.
As an accomplished hunter, it was crucial for Crea to have the necessary knowledge and wit to spot the tiniest detail that might clue her to hidden dangers. Such skill has, on countless occasions, saved her from poisonous creatures, skulking predators, and even from “civilized” individuals.
But nothing about these mares stand out as dangerous to her in any sense of the word. The way they trotted and carried themselves showed no signs of a seasoned pony. A few of them were physically above average, especially the earth pony with the hat; but even then, Crea felt confident she could overpower them. The most potentially dangerous one would be the purple unicorn, but that’s merely because she was a unicorn; magic is always unpredictable. However her being both Celestia’s and Inquest’s student was also a rather intimidating notion.
“They’re nothing but kids,” Crea whispered.
“And yet, records say otherwise,” Inquest replied. “Ladies.” Inquest greeted the mares with a practiced bow. “It’s wonderful to finally meet-”
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” Inquest’s head jerked back as the pink mare seemingly teleported right in front of him.
“A plea-,” Inquest tried to respond before he was interrupted again.
“I’ve never seen a pony with such a long horn before well maybe with Princess Celestia and Luna but you’re not an alicorn since you have no wings and that’s a very weird cutie mark is your special talent putting locks on books because that would be-”
Try as she might, Twilight couldn’t hide her smile at the sight of her toughest mentor interacting with Pinkie Pie for the first time. Were it any other pony, Twilight would have come to their aid already, but in this case, she opted to hang back and enjoy the scene.
“...and oh my gosh you must be the biggest gryphon ever!” Like a foal finding a new toy, Pinkie Pie quickly changed her attention to the large gryphon. “And why do you have straps and a belt with so pockets?” Crea’s head turned here and there as she tried, and failed, to keep track of the pink mare who kept disappearing and reappearing all around her; a couple of times appearing from right under her wing, or out of her bag of numerous supplies.
“Do forgive her,” spoke an elegant voice, “Pinkie Pie can be a hoof-full but she means well.” Rarity stepped forward from the group. “Rarity, a wonderful pleasure,” she greeted, offering her hoof.
Inquest let out a sigh, relieved to finally have a conversation with a normal pony. “And you must be Rarity Belle.” Inquest gently shook her hoof in a manner of the upper class. “Believe me the pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard so much about you; your generosity is a gift to Equestria.”
Rarity couldn’t help but giggle like a young filly, it was rare for her to be treated like the lady she was by a true gentlecolt. “And I you!” she replied enthusiastically. “The youngest pony to attain an advisory position to the throne. As the famed ‘Professor’ no less.”
“Never heard of you,” Rainbow said nonchalantly which earned Rarity’s disapproving look. “What? I haven’t,” Rainbow continued innocently.
“Hooowee!” Applejack suddenly trotted past the two and took Inquest’s hoof in a rough shake. “The name’s Applejack, and it’s an honor teh meet yeh Professor!”
“A-as I to you,” Inquest greeted back, surprised by her forceful hoof-shaking.
“Wait, you know The Professor?” Rarity asked slightly surprised.
“Do I? Sweet Apple Acres owe plenty of favours to this ‘ere pony.” Applejack turned her attention back to the stallion. “Ah can’t thank you enough for them earths you made.”
“If-if you mean the earths with concentrated levels of magic,” Inquest replied as Applejack continue to shake his hoof, “it was nothing.”
“Nothing? Your fertilizer done our farm wonders! Our trees grow faster, stronger, and bear the sweetest apples ever. Why ah wouldn’t be surprised if every farmer here and yonder was using the stuff. Ah don’t suppose there’s any chance for something new you might have in the works?”
As Applejack continued to converse with Inquest, Rarity informing Rainbow who Inquest was, and Pinkie Pie bouncing about Crea; that left Fluttershy alone and unsure what to do. Truth be told, she too was rather ignorant of The Professor, only aware that he was an advisor to the throne and nothing else. She simply lacked any interest in the subject to learn more. In fact, what really took her attention at the moment was the gryphon.
Like meeting a new animal Fluttershy couldn’t help but want to learn all about them, that’s not to say that she’s never encountered one before. Her last meeting with their kind was unfortunately far from what anypony would call pleasent. Gilda, Rainbow Dash’s old time friend, turned out to be a bully. That left a lingering impression and made it hard for her to approach Crea for fear she might be similar. The gryphon’s intimidating size didn’t help either.
“Uhm, Spike,” Fluttershy called softly to the dragon standing next to her. “What do you know about her?” she asked, pointing one of her primary feathers at the gryphon.
“Oh that’s Crea uhm, something-wind,” Spike answered. “Twilight said I met her a long time ago, back when we lived in the castle. But I don’t remember.”
Crea, with her honed senses, easily overheard her name softly spoken from the other side of the room. Seeing the young dragonling, Crea started to make her way towards them only to have Pinkie appearing and blocking her way as she continue on jabbering nonsense. With a sigh Crea stuck a claw into one of her many pockets and pulled out a large deep green leaf. Originally used by the Buffaloes to repel insects, Crea discovered it had a rather interesting side effect on ponykind.
“What’s this?” Pinkie asked, eyeing the leaf in Crea’s claw curiously.
“Smell it,” Crea spoke brushing the leaf across the mare’s muzzle.
The effects was nearly instantaneous, the scent of the unique essential oil made Pinkie freeze in her tracks and the iris of her eyes suddenly grew several times bigger. As inquest described it, the sensation felt like having the inside of your nose tickled followed by a “happy” feeling.
In other words; catnip for ponies.
With an “Oooooohh,” Pinkie took the leaf with both forehooves and planted her rear on the floor. Giggling to herself, she pressed and scrunched up the leaf over her muzzle and breathed in its sweet minty scent; oblivious to the enormous shadow as Crea stepped over her.
“...and supposedly she went with-oh she’s coming this way,” Spike informed.
“Oh dear! Oh my!” Fluttershy wasn’t quite ready to meet her just yet, her timid nature was yelling for her to hide. Panicked and unable to find any suitable hiding spot close by, Fluttershy opted for whatever was available. With a squeak she jumped right behind the young dragon, hid behind her long mane, and tried her best to shrink as small as possible.
The sight of a full grown pegasus trying to hide behind a dragon at least half her size made Crea pause in her step. “She alright?” Crea asked, looking both confused and worried.
“Don’t worry,” Spike replied. “It’s normal. I’m Spike.”
“I know.” Spike raised an eyebrow. “A dragon raised by a pony? You don’t forget something like that. Saw you a couple of times when I used to drop by Canterlot in between missions. Always following that purple unicorn around.” The memory of her first encounter with Spike made Crea broke out in a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just remembered the first time I saw you. Don’t think you’d remember, otherwise you would’ve probably ran at the sight of me.”
“Why?” Spike asked hesitantly.
“Because, I tried to kill you.”
“What!?” Spike yelled as he jumped back, pushing against Fluttershy who squeaked like a stuffed animal.
“Well I didn’t know there was a dragon living in the castle,” Crea started to explain. “I was walking down one hallway and you suddenly showed up from around the corner. Reflexes took over and I grabbed you by the neck.” Crea tilted her head towards one side of the room where Twilight was. “If she wasn’t there to stop me, well, you know...”
Try as he might Spike had no recollection of that encounter, though he did vaguely remember days where his throat was sore for weeks. “Why would you do that!?” Spike asked, both angered and confused.
“Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’ve got feathers all over and you can breathe fire,” she responded with heavy sarcasm. “I was caught of guard and frightened,” she defended. “It was all reflex.”
Hearing this Fluttershy’s ears shot straight up at attention, poking out off her pink mane. “You’re afraid of dragons?” she asked just barely above a whisper.
“Who isn’t?” Crea replied in a ‘isn’t that obvious’ tone. “Oh where are my manners, I haven’t introduced myself.” Crea held her claw out. “Crea Whistwind.”
Discovering she shared something with the gryphon, Fluttershy slowly started to come out of her hiding. “Uhm, Fluttershy.” Hesitantly Fluttershy reached out with a hoof, expecting it to be crushed. Yet surprisingly Crea took her hoof with the gentlest touch and shook ever so lightly.
“So, you thought Spike was going to burn you? But, back then he must’ve been just a few months old. Dragons that young can’t breath fire yet.”
“Well I didn’t know that. The youngest dragons I’ve dealt with were in their adolescence, and most of them are jerks. You’re a pegasus so you should know how fast feathers burn.” Crea looked at Spike. “I apologized before but since you don’t remember; I’m sorry. Like I said, it was all reflex. Sometimes I wish I had scales instead. Never have to worry so much when cooking or sleeping next to an open fire.”
With the apology and praise, Spike’s alarmed expression quickly turned to a smug smile. “They are awesome,” he replied, rubbing his belly proudly.
“But what about Rodney?” Fluttershy spoke. “He doesn’t have any fur or feathers. Not even a thick hide.”
“Who?” Crea asked.
“He’s the human,” Spike answered. “You know, the one that’s been on the papers for a while now.”
“Ah, yeah,” Crea responded, remembering the conversation she had with Inquest about the human. “The other ‘visitor’,” she mumbled.
“The what?” Spike asked.
“Nothing.” Crea looked around the room. “Where is he by the way? I heard he was living in this town.”
“Oh uhm,” Fluttershy started shyly. “I’m sorry but I don’t think you’ll be seeing him. He’s in the hospital right now.” Reminded of the injured human, Fluttershy’s expression turned to pity as she whimpered. “He tried to save everypony and got hurt. I really hope he’ll be fine.”
Crea scratched the underside of her beak in thought. “Excuse me.” Without any other explanation Crea turned and moved towards the old grey stallion. She stood in his field of vision and with a gestured flap of her wing, signalled for a private conversation.
“Ladies, pardon me for a moment.” With a slight bow he trotted past and met Crea some distance away. “What is it?”
“Remember that human you mentioned? The friendly ‘visitor’? Just thought you should know that he’s not here. Apparently he’s in hospital at the moment.”
Inquest’s ears twitched hearing that. “The human,” he mumbled in thought.
Though he would not admit, Inquest had completely forgotten about the human when formulating this plan. Only during preparation to teleport over did he finally remember. Luckily it didn’t force Inquest to restrategize in any major way, it only added another variable he needed to think about.
What was difficult however, is determining how big of a player this human was. His origin, nature and abilities are certainly something worth studying and thus protecting. But much of him remains a mystery. In other words, in the grand scheme of things, he was a wild card.
Of course it would be convenient if he were here with the rest of the Elements, making it easier to protect them all. But should things turn for the worst; the loss of a friendly visitor from another world, as regrettable as it will be, would be nothing more than a loss of opportunity. Compared to Twilight or any of the other Elements of Harmony whose sudden disappearance may jeopardize Equestria; it was plainly obvious which should be made a priority. It’s bad enough he was using them as bait without their knowledge or Celestia and Luna’s; they would never approve.
“We’ll stick to the plan,” he concluded.
“You sure?” Crea leaned in and whispered. “You don’t need me for this part. You can plant your tracking spells on the mares without me. I can go check on the human.” Again Inquest fell silent as he considered this alteration to the plan.
‘Was it worth the risk to split apart?’ he asked himself. There’s no telling when this creature will strike, they had planned to stay for the foreseeable future or until he was convinced there was no threat. A lot of factors about this plan was based on probable guesswork, and actual intel on this hostile ‘visitor’ was scarce. ‘If magic would not work, Crea would be paramount in capturing it.’ A mere month ago the idea of a creature completely immune to magic was ludicrous. Yet now there exists a known being that is not only immune, but drinks it dry for his own use. There has yet to be any evidence to suggest the hostile ‘visitor’ could do the same, but nothing to say it could not either.
Again, a gamble with wildcards. For Inquest who was an agent of logic and calculation, which has served him well throughout his life, this predicament was extremely frustrating to him. He could not calculate the probable outcomes as he often could throughout his missions, making him hesitate on crucial decisions.
“It’s up to you,” he spoke, trusting his partner’s instincts over his own.
Crea looked out the closest window for a moment as she considered what to do. “I’ll leave right now,” she decided.
Inquest nodded. “If I’m correct; you should find the hospital at the edge of town. Off to the west. It’ll be big,” he informed. “Then return immediately once you’ve confirmed the human’s safety. We must always be on the ready and in close proximity to the Elements. If we’re lucky, nothing happens tonight. I’ve already cast a tracker on one of the bearers, it’ll take some time to do the rest discretely.”
“What about the purple unicorn?” Crea’s eyes flickered to Twilight for the briefest moment. “Won’t she be able to tell? Being Celestia’s and your student.”
“It’ll be tough,” Inquest agreed, glancing at Twilight. “She is a sharp one alright.”
Crea looked at him with a raised brow. “Was that pride I hear? To think The Professor is proud of something other than his experiments,” she teased.
Inquest swung a hoof at her which she easily dodge. “Are you leaving or not?” he responded irritably.
With an amused smile Crea turned and quickly made her way towards the front door. “Sorry, just remembered something I had to do,” she spoke loudly. Before anypony could even say goodbye, she ducked and squeezed through the doorframe and flew off.
“Where is she off to in such a hurry?” Twilight asked.
“Crea can be rather forgetful at times. But it’s nothing to worry about.” Inquest lied. “Now then, where were we?”
=========[Several hours before]=========
“Shouldn’t you be going back soon?” I gazed out the window at the night sky. “Pretty sure visiting hours are over.” For a long time now I’ve been expecting Redheart to come by and ask Shine to leave, but she never came. In fact nobody came. Bronze still hasn’t returned and I was starting to worry for him. I knew he had every intention to return; his beloved shield was still here leaning against the wall.
“You’re right,” Shine replied, pushing herself up to stand. “Would you like me to bring anything tomorrow?”
“Actually,” several selected books ignited into flames as it hovered towards Shine. “You can take these back to Twilight. Tell her I’m done and thank you.” I then realized that without a saddlebag or something similar, Shine had no means of carrying all the books; and I doubt she could balance it on her back all the way. “Or tomorow,” I added returning and dropping the books back on the pile.
“I’ll pick them up tomorrow,” she agreed. “You know,” she continued, her eyes gazing up and down at me. “You look better.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, you’re more active and appear to be in less pain. And you’ve got more color too.”
“It’s got a horrible stink,” I patted the bandages coiled around midsection, “but they do work. Naturally the rib takes the longest to heal so bending over or twisting too far still hurts. But everything else is fine. Even the bruises are disappearing.” I got off the bed and walked around the room to prove it. “So long as I keep myself straight, I can pretty much move around like normal.”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Shine warned. “You still need your rest.”
I chuckled. “For a moment there you sound like both Twilight and Redheart.” I pretended to shiver in fright. “I should probably be terrified of that.”
“I’m starting to understand some of Miss Twilight’s description about you,” she replied after rolling her eyes.
“I’m certain they’re nothing but lies and slander,” I replied jokingly.
“Seems pretty accurate to me.” Shine scanned the room one last time before trotting towards the door. “If there’s nothing else...”
“Wait, hold up.” Tightening my hospital gown around me, I caught up to Shine by the doorway. “I’ll walk you out, it’s the least I could do after keeping me company for so long.”
“You don’t have to do that. Redheart would want you to stay in bed and rest.” Can’t say I was surprised to hear that.
“Look I’ve been hold up in this room for days on end, with nothing to do but read,” I complained. “Sure the books are entertaining enough but I need to get out and move or I’ll go stir crazy.”
“I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“It’s just to the front door,” I continued. “Then I’ll head right back to my room ok?”
She thought for a moment. “Promise?”
“Oh for crying-yes I promise.” I raised a hand towards the hallway. “After you.”
With Shine a step ahead, I started walking barefooted down the hall towards the stairs that would eventually lead down to the main lobby. From the darkness ahead, it seems the hallway in front of my room was the only one currently lit. Assuming that Steadfast had already left with the rest of his squad, it probably meant Bronze and I were the only patients on this floor. It wasn’t entirely dark, luckily this part of the building had windows to the outside which allowed moonlight to pour in. Just enough to light the way, though it also gave a rather eerie vibe.
‘Remember those Japanese horrors?’ And with that single comment all the memorable hospital themed horror movies started flooding my mind.
‘Why would you bring that up?’ Unfortunately I’ve watched some of the really good ones, meaning they’ve successfully scared the shit out of me. I knew such things were mere fantasy, but I was a person with a very wild imagination. It has its uses, but on occasion I let it affect me more than is should. Where I was casually walking carefree five seconds ago, now I was on edge and glancing at every shadow for a long black haired women in white. Or some other creepy nonsense.
But that’s when realization hit me like a truck; I noticed that everything was way too quiet. Like silent dead quiet. The only sounds I could hear were the metallic jungling of my chains and Shine’s hooves on the hard floor surface.
“Hold up,” I spoke, placing a hand on Shine’s back to halt her.
“What?” she asked unaware, her voice echoed onwards.
I didn’t answer, rather I stayed still and strained my ears to catch the slightest bit of noise, anything that might indicate some other presence in the building besides ourselves. I turned and looked back down the hall where we came, then back forward but saw nobody. Even resorting to my ‘Sense’ in order to hopefully feel someone else on the floors above or below.
But again; nothing. The only ‘heat’ I felt was from Shine standing next to me.
“Where is everybody?” I asked softly, but that too sounded like a shout in the absolute silence.
“Well everybody left earlier today remember?” she reminded. “All the guards along with the nurses and doctors that came from Canterlot to help with the injured.”
“Yeah I know but...” I looked at Shine with worry. “Where’s the regular staff? All the other patients and nurses and doctors should still be here.”
Shine looked back and forward much like I did, her long ears swiveling like radars trying to catch any sound. “Hello!?” she suddenly shouted. We both waited, but the only response we got were Shine’s own voice echoing back several times. “They...might have gone home for the night,” Shine guessed.
I was unconvinced. “Everyone of them? All the patients released at the same time? Nobody even came by to check up on us or ask you to leave after visiting hours are over.”
“Maybe they forgot?”
“This is Redheart we’re talking about.” I didn’t know much of Redheart as a pony, but as a nurse it was easy to tell she was impeccable and meticulous at her job. No way she would have just up and left home without dropping by to check on me first. Like she does every night.
“Right.” Shine now had the same worried expression as I did. Her ears stood up straight and was now on alert. Not sure if she was aware, but I noticed her fur looked slightly more ‘puffed’ than before. Probably a reaction similar to goosebumps.
“C’mon,” I started walking, “let’s see if we can find anyone.”
‘We should take caution, just in case.’
Heading the voice in my head I looked at Shine. “Let’s keep quiet from now on, just in case.”
“I’m sure things are fine,” she replied, mostly to herself I think.
“If it’s nothing then it’s nothing. But if not...” I let that last part go unfinished, it was clear what it implied. She fell silent at that and her demeanor changed dramatically.
We continued on for several minutes towards the main staircase and unfortunately both of us had trouble keeping silent. Shine’s hoofsteps were like two-halves of coconuts shells hitting each other on the hard floor. Where as I found it impossible to keep my chains from rattling with every step. Luckily we reached the stairs without any incident, and like the rest of the building the lights in that area were off as well. I could still ‘sense’ the magic in the gems on the ceiling, so I knew they were still working. But that only meant that nobody was around to turn them on.
‘Or couldn’t.’
‘Did you have to say it all ominous like that?’
‘Couldn’t resist.’
Going down the stairs was rather problematic for me, they were designed for ponies making it steeper and longer from what I was used to. With my fractured rib, I had to take each step slow and in an awkward manner to keep the pain to a minimum. Too slow for her liking, Shine decided to venture further ahead and disappeared around the corner before I even got halfway.
“Shine wait up,” I called in a whisper. No reply. “Shine?” I called again. No reply.
Fearing something had happened I quickened my pace took the pain head on with each step. Unlike the floor before, there were no windows in this hallway, only doors to patient rooms. Without any source of light nearly every bit of the ground floor was in perfect darkness.
“Shine,” I called again, slightly louder.
“Here,” she finally replied closeby. “I’m trying to find the gem for the lights.”
“Light,” I whispered, thinking the gem would react to a voice command.
“It’s a old system,” Shine informed in a whisper. “There’s a specific gem you have to touch.”
I channeled a bit of magic on my hand. Whispy fire poured out from my skin and gathered into a small glowing ball of fire. It hovered in my palm, the size of a grape, and acted as a source of light to repel the dark. Dangerous I know, even if it’s small I was still holding on to a fireball that’ll explode should I lose control of it.
Beats fumbling about in the dark.
“Rodney!” Shine suddenly shouted in alarm startling me. Shine suddenly galloped away towards the edge of the light and hunched over a dark shape. As I quickly joined her and brought my ‘fire’ closer, I realized the dark shaped was in fact a pony; a mare with a familiar red cross for her mark.
“Redheart?” I asked.
“Yes,” Shine answered, running her hooves and inspecting the head nurse’s body. From the way Shine methodically examined Redheart’s head, to neck, body and legs; it was clear she knew what she was doing.
“You trained?” I asked in a whisper, bringing my ‘fire’ closer so that Shine could get a better look.
“Just the basics. Every staff in the castle has to have some first aid training in case of emergencies.” Hearing this I left Shine to do her thing while I kept watch, constantly turning my head from side to side. “She’s still breathing but I can’t seem to wake her up. I don’t see any injuries either. Can you give me more light?”
At first I questioned the wisdom of making ourselves more noticeable with a large source of light, but then again I was already holding onto a blue fireball in the dark. No matter how small it would be impossible to miss it in the dark. Carefully, I allowed more magic to travel down my arm and escape through my palm where more thin bluish flames escaped and merged with the fireball. Slowly it grew and so did the intensity of the light, pushing the shadows further and further away.
“Shine,” I called in a low tone.
“What?” Shine asked still focused and looking down on Redheart.
“We need to move.”
“I’m not done-” I placed a hand atop of Shine’s head and forced her to look further down the hallway. Her hooves jumped to her muzzle with a frightful gasp.
There was another body on the floor only a meters away.
There’s no denying it now, there was something dangerous here and probably still in the building. Rather than play hide and seek in the dark, I decided that it was better to see the danger coming. I raised the fireball up and fed a substantial amount of magic causing it to double in size. With a baseball sized fireball in hand the light pierced the dark all the way to both ends of the hallway.
“Ooh,” was all Shine could speak at the sight. In both directions the hallway was littered with the bodies of ponies, both patients and staff.
“Are they all knocked out?” I asked. Shine didn’t answer, still gawking in shock. “Shine,” I called slapping the back of her head slightly but enough to snap her out of it.
“Oh, uhm yes, I-I think so.” She took a tentative step forward. “I’ll have to check-” she suddenly stopped mid sentence as her head jerk up.
“What?” I looked at her, ears swiveling about on alert.
She turned to look behind us. “I thought I heard-,” my hand clasped around her muzzle, silencing her.
“I heard it too,” I spoke in the tiniest whisper. “Hide.”
The fireball winked out of existence as I siphoned it back, drowning the hallway in darkness once again. From memory, I felt my way to a corner near the stairs thinking that Shine was right behind me. I only realized my mistake when I heard her hoofsteps heading elsewhere away from me. I thought of calling out for her to join me but by then it was too late, already the noise we heard before was approaching.
It sounded like someone was tapping the walls and it was difficult to determine the exact location since the noise echoed off the walls. But as it got closer, louder, and clearer it sounded more and more like the familiar rhythmic hoofsteps of a pony’s trot. The closer it got the faster my heart started to beat.
‘You think a pony is behind this?’
‘Does it matter if it is? If it’s a threat...’
‘Never met a violent pony before.’
‘Doesn’t mean they don’t exist.’ Too little time to formulate a plan, I decided to place my faith in ponies and hope for the best. From what I’ve experienced their behaviour in general was near saintlike compared to human standards. You would expect the best of them rather than the worst.
But that doesn’t mean I was going to be foolish. I prepared myself mentally and once the source of the noise was close enough I quickly stepped out, right hand arched behind me where a fireball burst into life.
“Bronze!?” I asked in surprise, recognizing his amber fur and blue sky mane.
“Monkey?” he asked, eyes squinted against the sudden glare of light. “What-”
CLANG!!
“Whoa!” Out of nowhere something metallic stuck him hard squarely on his face. I turned to see Shine as the assailant. “Shine what the hell!?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she apologized, a dented metal tray in between her forehooves. “I panicked.”
“Brroonze Ssky issa good name,” Bronze slurred, wobbling in place before hitting the floor with a hard thump.
“Perfect,” I mumbled in dismay. I looked at Shine with an irritated look. “Where’d you get that anyway?” She turned and following her gaze I saw a cart by the wall behind her. I let out a sigh and kneeled over him with the fireball still in one hand. “Bronze,” I called shaking his body hoping to rouse him up. But only made his tongue fall out to the side, making his unconscious form comical.
‘That’s one hell of a swing.’
“What do we do now?” Shine asked with guilt in her voice. I scanned the area.
‘We have to assume whoever, whatever, did this is still around.’
‘You’re not planning on hunting-oh thank god you’re not.’
‘Don’t celebrate just yet. We still need to make sure everyone of these ponies are safe. Can’t just leave them laying out in the open. We’ll have to mo-’
My bones nearly jumped right out of my skin when the silence was suddenly shattered with a series of loud metallic clanging as I assumed Shine had dropped the tray.
I turned. “Jesus Shine that-” I nearly choke on the words when I saw her. Shine was laying on her side with her mane covering her face seemingly passed out. My first impulse was to lunge right to her side and check on her, but that was instantly killed when I saw something stood over her.
A jet black cat with bright yellow eyes stared at me, front paws on Shine’s neck like a lion claiming a kill. Visually there was nothing odd about the feline, it was a black cat and nothing more. But my instinct thought otherwise.
‘Run! Run!! RUN!!!’
My heart raced, blood pumping so hard I could hear it rushing in my ears. My hands started to shake and heavy sense of dread gripped my chest. But despite all that, I didn’t move. No matter how hard I wanted to, no matter how loud the voice in my head screamed.
All I could do was stare at those yellow haunting eyes. The longer I stared, the more it seemed to grow as if I was falling into it. Soon nothing seem to exist except for those mesmerizing eyes. Moments passed and I vaguely remembered a falling sensation and the last thing I remembered was seeing the floor rise up to me.
I blacked out before I felt the ground hit me.
“Ponyville Hospital,” Crea read aloud.
With the moon out it was easy for her eagle eyes to read the sign even from a far distance. Beyond it was a large rectangular building, much like the ones in larger cities like Manehattan. It was rare for her to visit such large cities, whether that be in her homeland or anywhere else. It all looked and felt boring to her, and she could barely stand the constant bustling noise. The wilds and untamed lands were her element, much like laboratories and magic was to Inquest.
Everything looked peaceful enough, nothing stood out to Crea as she descended towards the front entrance. Yet something in her gut made her feel uneasy, and it only grew the closer she approached the building. She noted light from the second floor, indicating that there was at least one staff still working tonight.
“Hello?” Crea called just before her paws touched the ground. She waited outside the glass double doors for a moment, waiting for somepony to come out. But nopony showed up, the area past the double doors remain pitch black. Crea called several more times, each louder than before, but saw no movement or heard any reply.
Her instincts have been poking at her for sometime now, an air of uneasiness seem to radiate from the structure. The front portion of her body, one covered in feathers puffed up in wary aggression as she slowly approached the front doors.
Silently she pushed the doors open and stepped inside. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark, Crea started sniffing the air for any noticeable scent. Her sense of smell was nothing to brag about, but it still proved helpful at times to take in as many clues as possible before venturing into the unknown. Not that it mattered however, the hospital was overflowing with antibacterial and medicinal fragrance that made it impossible to smell anything else. Drawing her claws in so as to not tap and scrape the hard floor, she ventured forth into the dark.
The front desk was empty, but there were signs that ponies were here today. Even a cup of what could be tea lay full, though it has long gone cold. She strained her eyes, scanning the walls for any noticeable protrusion that might indicate a gem for the lights. Spotting a slight glint near a corner, she approached it while keeping alert of her surrounding.
Once close enough Crea found what she was looking for, an amethyst cut to an octagonal shape was half embedded against the wall. Making sure she was well and truly safe, Crea reached out with a claw and tapped the gem. Instantly the all the gems along the ceiling came to life and illuminated the hallway.
“Break my beak,” Crea swore under her breath. Her vision was blurred at first against the sudden brilliance, but she could still make out the multitude of ponies lying on the floor.
Claws sprang forth, wings spread out and feathers puffed out instinctively; making her look even larger than before and far more menacing. Her new demeanor screamed of danger as she prepared for battle, experienced eyes glancing about her newly illuminated surrounding for any adversary.
Finding none, Crea then leaped over tables and avoided carts to reach the nearest pony; a doctor she assumed as he wore a white robe. Keeping her head high and watchful of danger, Crea pressed a calw gently down on the pony’s chest for signs of life. Relieved to feel it push back as the pony drew breath, Crea moved to the next one.
Strangely though, she found no noticeable injuries or marks of any kind. Neither was there any sign of a struggle or fight, it’s as if these ponies simply fell unconscious as they go about their business for no apparent reason.
As much as she wanted to Crea didn’t have time to check every one of them. After confirming the third pony, a patient, was alive with no noticeable injuries, Crea assumed they were all in a similar state. In a mad rush Crea bounded over ponies in search of the human, scarring the floor with her talons and claws.
“Human!!” she yelled, checking every door she passed by. “Rodney!” She had no clue which room the human occupied, and there were too many to check them all. There was however one place that stood out for her; the single lit area on the second floor she saw during her descent.
Leaping over stairs and dashing to the proper side of the building, Crea eventually found her way into that particular hallway. There were four doors for her to choose but luckily one of them was ajar. The door slammed and cracked the wall as Crea burst inside with full force. Finding the room empty, Crea started examining the room for any hints and signs that might help her. Books, strands of fur and bits of food on the floor indicated this room was recently occupied. She could tell there were roughly three or four ponies have been in this room recently, but saw no sign of the human’s whereabouts.
It finally occurred to her that she has never seen the human or a picture of him. A hairless monkey was all the description she had going.
“Stupid,” she cursed, a claw slapping the side of her face. Her only idea left was to try find any tracks outside, as luck would have it the moonlight should be enough for her to work.
But first, Inquest needed to know.
The window unfortunately could only slide open halfway, which is far too small for Crea’s massive frame. But that didn’t deter her, rather it made the solution simple for her. With a small running start, Crea tightened her muscles, tucked her head in, and leaped out the window; shattering glass and even taking bits of the wall with her through sheer physical force.
She free falled along with the debris for about half a second before spreading her wings. Instead of beating her wings against the fall and injuring her wings with the sudden weight, she kept falling for a second longer to gain speed before swerving her wing and soaring right back up into the air in a giant U shape.
Returning to the library would take too long. If the human or the ‘visitor’ left any trail, she would need to find and track it while it’s fresh. Crea kept beating her wings and climbing higher and higher towards town until she saw the rooftop of every building. She breathed out calmly before drawing her head back and sucked in the cold night air, filling her lungs to the brink and unleashing it all in a single massive cry.
“Woah nelly!” Applejack stared out the window to the sky. “That’s a loud one.”
“You can say that again,” Spike added, scanning the skies next to Applejack.
“Was that one your hawks dear?” Rarity asked.
“Uhm, I...I don’t think so,” Fluttershy replied. For a pony who spent more time with animals than her fellow kind, Fluttershy could easily tell the subtle difference. “And, uhm, that’s not a hawk’s cry. The pitch is different. But that’s what I think,” she quickly added.
“That’s a…,” Rainbow let out a long yawn, “gryphon’s cry.” She blinked several times before another yawn. “I feel fun...ny….” Her eyes closed as she fell forward to the floor.
“Rainbow? Are you,” Rarity too let out a long yawn. “Strange, why do I feel..so tir..” She wobbled for a few steps before collapsing to the floor in a deep sleep.
“Rarity?” Twilight called worriedly. In quick succession, Spike and every one of her friends followed fell to the floor unconscious. “Girls!? Spike!?” she called alarmed, trotting towards them.
“They’re fine,” Inquest spoke, eyes closed in concentration. “Just asleep.”
Twilight turned to her old instructor and saw his horn glowing ghost white. “You did this?” Twilight asked, the tiniest hint of threat in her voice. “Why!?”
“You’ve always been proud of your mastery in teleportation,” he spoke ignoring Twilight’s glare. “Can you teleport them all and yourself to Canterlot?”
“Canterlot? Now wait a minute what is going-” Twilight started only to be interrupted.
“CAN YOU OR CAN YOU NOT!?” Inquest suddenly shouted. His voice and sudden shift in demeanor more than startled Twilight.
“M-maybe near the city limits,” she answered, faltering under his air of authority. Never before has she seen him like this.
“That’s good enough.” Inquest’s horn glowed again and one by one each sleeping mare started to float in the air.
“What are you planning to do to them?” she asked, stepping in between him and her friends with her own horn aglow. The sight of her friends unconscious form under the mercy of another pony quickly dispelled Inquest’s intimidation.
“Protecting them,” he answered. “Now don’t bother me I’m concentrating.” What looked like thin shimmering cloth started to pour out from his horn, each heading towards one of the Elements. Without touching they wrapped over each mare encasing them in a translucent glowing white bubble while they continue to hover. “That should be enough,” he sighed, the glow of his horn disappearing.
“What is going on!?” Twilight finally shouted, unable to contain her frustration and worry.
“What you heard before was Crea. That was her emergency call. She went to the hospital to check on the human,” Inquest explain hurriedly. “Something must’ve happened.”
One thing sprang to mind. “Is it Rodney? What-”
“I don’t know but Crea deemed it an emergency. I can’t explain everything now but I need to go meet her there.”
“I’ll come-”
“NO!” Inquest interrupted again. Twilight nearly fell on her haunches as Inquest again exerted his air of authority unto her. “The reason I kept you awake is so that you can take yourself and the elements to safety should things turn for the worse.” Inquest gazed down for a moment in thought before looking back at Twilight. “In two hours; if I don’t return you will take your friends and teleport to Canterlot. Head immediately to my chambers and stay there, all the runes and enchantments I made should keep you all safe. Inside my desk is a white folded letter, give it to Celestia or Luna. It will explain everything. Do you understand?”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know Rodney and Shine is safe!!” she shouted back, matching his glare. “If they're in danger then my friends and I am coming with you!” They way she suddenly stood up against the stallion surprised both Inquest and herself, but he did not relent.
“I am The Professor!” he spoke in a commanding tone. “With the rights and authority vested unto me by the throne of Equestria, I order you to follow my commands!”
“You can’t order me around like that!” Twilight shouted back, standing her ground. “I’m not my brother, I’m not in the service! I’m a citizen and I can do what I want! In fact you broke the laws of ‘Rightful Magic’, section E paragraph two, when you cast a spell on my friends without their consent!” There was a moment of silence as the two glared at each other’s eyes.
“You are the Elements of Harmony,” Inquest spoke in a soft voice, hoping a different tactic might work. “I know you think you can take anything on after Discord and the Changeling invasion, but this is different.”
“Rodney is my responsibility. The Princess trusted to-”
“And she trusts me to do what is necessary to keep Equestria safe,” Inquest interrupted. “I am not your enemy Twilight. At this very moment the human could be in danger.” Before Twilight could speak Inquest continued on. “I promise, on my life and tittle, that I will do everything I can to keep the human safe. I promise.”
Twilight looked at him in thought, then at her friends, and finally out the window towards the hospital. “Magic doesn’t work on him,” she informed, trusting the mentor she once looked up to.
“I know. I’ve read all your reports.” Inquest smiled mischievously. “Communication through dragon fire is not as secure as you think.” With that Inquest’s whole body started to glow. A brilliant flash later, he was disappeared.
Twilight, now alone, turned to her sleeping friends still suspended in the air, cradled inside Inquest’s protective bubble. Her horn glowed as she levitated Spike’s sleeping basket down from the second floor and placed the young dragon in it. With nothing else to do she trotted and sat by the window, one that allowed her to look towards the general direction of the hospital.
With a heavy sigh she looked down at her right fore hoof. It glowed as she parted her fur with magic to reveal a small band of metal perfectly hidden underneath. It was exactly half a centimeter wide, with tiny yet extremely detailed carvings of runes. Individually she recognized each rune, but the intricacy of the design as a whole was mind boggling. How it functions was still a mystery to her.
Rarity would no doubt adore such a beautiful looking accessory. But to Twilight who knew the its secret connection to Rodney, the metal band felt a thousand times heavier on her hoof. Despite how much she wished to reveal all of it to the human, her adoration and trust for Celestia was stronger; and so, have kept silent and lied to one who trusts her completely. If he really was in danger, Twilight might not have an opportunity to apologize.
“Please be alright.”
=========[Elsewhere, far from Ponyville]=========
“Ngah!” I woke up in a gasp, shivering as a freezing wind blew over me. The next thing that greeted me was the strong scent of earth followed by grass poking on my skin. I was laying on my left side, arm under me which had gone numb from the restricted blood flow. Immediately the prickling sensation of pins and needles assaulted my arm as nerves returned to life.
Once it subsided, I pushed myself up causing my side to hurt. Breathing was also difficult, the bone chilling air making my lung and throat protest in pain. There were dust and dirt covering the lower half of my body and even a few pebbles in between buttcheeks. My whole body shook uncontrollably as I brushed them off, trying its best to warm itself up. As if that wasn't bad enough I only had my hospital gown to wear, which was nothing but a single thin piece of cloth. Might as well be naked.
Looking around I found myself standing in a field of tall untended grass that seem to continue on forever. With the moon still hanging high in the night sky, I could make out was looked like the tree line of a dense forest to my left. But other than that there was no notable landmarks that I recognized. Hugging and rubbing myself to create some friction and warmth, I continue to scan my surroundings hoping to see something that might indicate where I am. It didn’t take long for me to spot a tall mountain far off into the distance with lights glowing off the mountainside.
Canterlot. Or at least that’s what I assume unless there’s another town and castle nestled on the side of a mountain. Imagining the distance between Ponyville and Canterlot, and adjusting how far that mountain appear to be; I guessed that I was about a mile or two away from Ponyville, the furthest I’ve ever been. But really it was all guesswork, something to convince myself that I wasn’t completely lost.
‘About time you wake up.’
“How the hell did I get-” The moment I asked all the memory from the hospital, the silence, the unconscious ponies, Shine knocking out Bronze, and finally; the cat. From sudden fear I reflexively drew both hands out to the side, a ball of blue fire the size of baseballs in each open hand shining out like miniature suns in the dark. The metallic jingling sounds of my chains echoed across the night like bells. If that thing was nearby, it knows I’m awake now.
“The hell happened to me?”
‘Can’t say, you just passed out while staring at that thing. And no I don’t know how we got here. Same minds remember? When you’re unconscious-’
“Yeah I get it.” I slowly turned around, using the light from the fireballs to try and spot any danger. Specifically a black cat. At least the sudden adrenaline was making my heart beat harder, the rush of blood was helped warm my body. “What the hell was that thing?”
‘Definitely not a normal cat. Definitely dangerous.’
“How’d you-”
“Hihihi.” I spun around to look back at the sudden noise where I saw the grass stir. Unmoving, I watched the scene wary of any sign of movement, ready to throw a fireball if I needed to.
After a long tense moment of silence, I couldn’t handle the anxiety and fear any longer.
“Who are you!?” I screamed into the dark. “The hell do you want from me!?” I waited but nothing happened. “I know you’re out there!”
“Here I am,” whispered a husky voice right next to my ear.
Out of surprise I mindlessly jumped forward, twisted my body and threw both fireballs. The fractured rib and my sudden twist left me in agony. Rather than landing back on my feet, I tumbled over from the excruciating pain and fell to the ground just as everything flashed blue. I felt the rush of heat and the thundering explosion hit me as I lay on the dirt.
As the wind from the blast died down, I carefully picked myself up and scanned the impact zone. In the midst of a perfect verdant field of grass was a black charred crater with small fires burning on the edges of the explosion radius. Trying my best to ignore the pain I prepared another fireball in my right hand, illuminating the area once again.
‘Calm down! You’ll quickly dry out if you keep wasting magic like that!’ Heeding that advice I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm both mind and body.
“Someone likes to play rough,” spoke a female voice, seemingly reverberating from every direction.
“Show yourself,” I replied in a low tone. The voice giggled lightheartedly from all around, making it impossible to pinpoint its location.
“Why should I? Clearly you’ll just hurt me.”
“Then what the hell do you want from me? Why did you attack the hospital?” There was silence at first and for a moment I thought I saw the shadows around me stir and move.
“How badly do you want to go home?”
“What?” I asked dumbfounded, surprised by the question.
“Poor, poor Rodney.” How it suddenly used my name sent a chill down my spine. “So lonely. So far from home. Trapped in a strange world with literally nothing but the clothes on your back.”
That phrase; ‘nothing but the clothes on your back’. That was a human’s phrase. It had no place in a society that uses clothes for mere accessory. Even more I sensed a teasing tone, as if it knew I would take note of this. Whatever this thing was, it knew things only I should know.
“And worse,” the voice continued, “this place has so many similarities to home, doesn’t it? Everywhere you look, you see things that remind you of everything left behind. Doorknobs, furniture, beds, books, language, letters, architecture. Prodding that heartache of yours like an open wound. No wonder it hasn’t healed.”
My breath was laboured, my head spinning with confusion while I tried to stomach an emotional hailstorm.
“You try to hide the pain. Joking around and being a good guy with those ponies. Burying yourself in magic and training, just to keep your mind busy. All for a moment of bliss. Just to forget what you’ve lost.”
“How-how do you...” My chest tightened, felt like something was gripping my insides. There was no denying it, this thing was aware of thoughts and emotion I’ve bottled up deep inside. Even those that I wasn’t aware of. With every word it forced me to face the truth of myself, every actuation striking true. It was all too much.
“None of them know your pain. How can they? Torn from family and friends, everything you cherished. I know you hate them, deep down you’re jealous of them. These ponies, smiling everyday without a care right in front of you. Mocking you. If they only knew how much it hurts to lose everything.”
“You’re wrong! I don’t-”
“Am I?” It giggled. “They call you friend but look at you. In chains and with ponies watching over you. If only mom and dad could see you now.” The confusion and emotional turmoil that have built up finally caved in with the mention of my parents. In an explosion of rage and anguish; I lost all clarity.
“AAAAAAHHHHH!!” Mindless and full of anger, I started lobbing fireball after fireball at random directions around me. Like a lightning storm the surrounding area was bathed in flashes of blue light accompanied by the thundering roar of explosions that shattered the earth. Stone, mud, and flaming grass rained down but I paid no heed. Focused still on venting my emotions in an act of denial to everything it said.
I don’t know how long my tantrum went on or how many fireballs I threw. By the end of it all, I was down on my knees in exhaustion, clutching my side as the pain finally caught up. With my emotional turmoil mostly vented, I came to realize my mistake.
It was all gone. There no magic was left, I had used it all. It was an odd feeling, almost similar to being thirsty but different. I suppose having exposed to magic for so long, my body was starting to adapt.
“Shhhh,” the voice hushed in a soothing tone. “It’s ok. I understand how you feel.”
“How…,” I spoke, kneeled down with my head hanging heavy. “How can you possibly-”
“Because we’re the same you and I.”
The grass, what remained of it, suddenly stirred all around me. At first I thought the moonlight was playing with my head, shadows was rising up from the ground like black smoke. It started to move around me in a circle and picking up speed, growing thicker and darker till it trapped me inside a tube of whirling darkness. Expecting an attack, I picked myself up and on reflex tried to bring forth another fireball. A small blue light flickered in my hand for the briefest moment before it vanished.
I was defenseless. Nothing but my fist to fight back. But what happened next was simply beyond what I knew and comprehend.
This darkness that surrounded me started to brighten, turning grey before slowly taking on a blueish hue. As the seconds passed, this bluish veil began to give off light. What was shadow and darkness moments before, was now misty flames of bright blue that looked all too similar to my magic.
“Wh-what...” I mumbled confusedly, unable to think.
The voice didn’t reply. Rather the tornado of fire began to gather in front of me, collecting into a mass of flames as if sucked by an invisible vacuum. And just when you think things can’t get any stranger, well, it did; into a whole different level.
As the flames continue to gather, it condensed and slowly took on a physical shape. It looked like a small tentacle at first, growing for several centimeters before another one grew next to it. For some time I expected some kind of monster to appear before me. But once a thicker and shorter tendril grew at a different angle, did I finally recognized for what it was.
A hand.
Not a hoof, not a claw, or any other kind of limb; but a hand. A real, five digited, human hand. You would think that after so long without contact or seeing another fellow human, or part of it, that I would be ecstatic. But no, instead I was utterly confused and terrified.
Hardly drawing a breath with my jaw hanging slack, I watched with eyes wide open as the hand grew into an arm. Followed by an elbow, a shoulder, further and further taking on more distinct features of a human with every passing second.
My mind was so out of it that I didn’t realize how feminine everything looked. Not until a pair of naked breasts formed followed by a slender frame which led to long perfectly shaped legs. The last was the head; aside from being made out of azure fire, it was the only part that appeared inhuman.
The neck and face was human enough; lips, cheekbones, nose, and a pair of closed eyelids. But everything from the top to the back of her head was still of fire, flowing and burning as a fire does; it actually resembled Celestia and Luna’s flowing mane. The moment her eyes opened though, it felt like my brain was struck with lightning.
I know that face.
My knees went weak and I fell back down to the earth. It took all my conscious effort to keep myself in a kneeling position and not fall over. Starring up I could do nothing but look into her eyes, completely forgetting that a naked woman stood in front of me, or that she was blue and made of fire. Only that face, that beautiful face. She gazed down at me and the edge of her lips lifted into a small smile.
[AN: Credit for the art is here (link). All I did was play with the colors.]
“Jo?”
Stats
Page generated in 0.04 seconds
Total duration
1,044 users online
1,709,035 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Stupid bloody Fae....
3904513 You finished reading it?
Damn that was fast. Now I kinda feel bad it took so long to update. 
3904521 ...Erm...Sowwy?Im a semi-fastish reader
so now i have to hunt down that name
edit: bwahahaha i found it
Well... shit. It's a human, but seemingly with much more control than Rodney?
This can not end well.
“Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s because I have feathers all over and you can breathe fire,” she responded with heavy sarcasm. “I was caught of guard. I was scared,” she defended. “It was all reflex.”
:
Grammer Nazi powerz activate!!!!
Oh no,a naked woman!
...I'm ok with this.
ΔΓ
Don't listen to it! it's an evil mind reading shapeshifting demon!
3904581 A simple "This needs work" would have been enough.
Then again, not as entertaining. 
Keep it up. 
I you need a backup editor quick, I could give it a go!
Just PM me if you need me. I'm on most nights.
3904593 well good for you I'm about to start my first fanfic
Good
3904581 3904593“Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s because I have feathers all over and you can breathe fire,” she responded with heavy sarcasm. “I was caught off* guard. I was scared,” she defended. “It was all reflex.”
Yuu nead moar Nazi. Not enough grammar. Much spelling. So wow.
Daaaaaaaaaaamn, plots be a twistin my friend!
Great, when he said he had a crazy ex... well... guess he really meant it.
Can this possibly get any more interesting? You had me like 30+ chapters ago, now... now its not even fair. Awesome chapter.
3904542
Where?
3904663
My thoughts exactly. I didn't even remember who Crea and Shine were, at first.
How long on the next update are ya thinking?
Must be serious business if he swears by his tittle.
Wow... I hope "subconsciousness" (guy with blazing blue eyes) will help him snap out of this in the next chapter. Or Crea, or something.
OK, What is with the blue? His fiery magic is blue, his inner voice is given blue text, and now this thing is blue to? Why the repeated use of blue? One time is a detail, two is important, three is a theme. What does it mean?
3904925 you ask him "why?". i ask you "why not?"
shit just entered the cannon and a massive fan is in front of the muzzle.
also, it's title not tittle
Bow-chicka-wow-wow...not sorry
Love the story, no offence but I still don't like inquest, especially his reaction after sending that dragon to ponyville. I know it's quite a few chapters ago, but I wish somepony would just kick his plot when they find out.
creas pretty awesome though.
3904992 Because random chance dose not favor repeated a event and it is usually poor writing to do something without reason. Therefor I presume it was a deliberate choice and that there was a reason: and I seek to know it.
You sure know how to portray evil. Real nasty anime style evil. And you did a good job of making me hate a gryphon and a pony. That Inquest sure is one coldhearted bastard. Things got real crazy real fast...
3905058 speculation: his magic is of another nature than that of ponies. more unstable, more... raw. he absorbs the magic around him, no matter the shape, form or quality. for that to be possible it is likely that it must first be reverse refined into a general shape, raw magic, as opposed to the refined magic that ponies use. flames are a common symbol for untamed power since it easily spreads and can not be controlled, only restricted. as for the blue? magic has a blue sound to it according to me. mana is often projected as blue so why not magic in general?
that is at least how i think of it
when he ran out of Mana I was expecting the whatever it is to just come out of the darkness like s27.postimg.org/70at5yo3n/1269678816033.jpg
but then it was the lady that he knew and I was just like s14.postimg.org/ob5i8z2mp/tumblr_m30kut52qr1rtcfaqo1_250.gif
3904925 That human magic is blue?
3905128 I don't know. Maybe.
I like it when symbols have a deeper or complex meaning though.
3904513
A Fae?! Quick, hit her with cold iron!
But he seems to recognize her. And old friend? Maybe not all humans who end in Equestria get the same power pack.
3905157 Actually, so far she seems to just have a much, much more advanced version of his magic.
cant wait to see what happens next
It's reflex~ :3
Keep up the good work!
3905161 my guess is that she found a way to not suck in every drop of magic
Glad you'll explain it because I'm confused.
Who is Jo?
Before I start reading, can someone tell me, is the story pretty much about the human condition?
Coud be intresting. What happens when you put two black holes together, but one has a shield up preventing merger?
I know, lets remove the shackles and put them in a small enclosed room somewhere. Surey nothing really unfortunate could happen then.
out of all the ponies in equestria, it's twilight that says that
ampercent.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/bad-grammar.jpg
this might not be the reason there's a comedy tag, but it sure fits
Don't fall for the demon wearing a pretty face Rodney. Shit never works out.
Daaaaah! creepy evil female!!!!
3906579
Not only that, but in the same rant she said that she won't rest until "Rodney and Shine is safe"
D'oh!!!
3904601 We'll see. Thank you for the offer. I'll send you a PM if things happen.
3904658 *sigh*
Yes I do. I don't know why but I can't seem to stop making the same mistakes even though I'm aware of it. Habit? Muscle memory? Whatever it is it's hard to stop. Plus I keep missing all the blatant mistakes staring at me in the face.
Oh, fixed and thank you.
3904663 Yes the curse of a long update, unavoidable unfortunately. But don't worry, the name was just a hint for people who remember, the next chapter will explain as if everybody forgot. I'm not going to leave you in the dark, at least not for long.
3904994 Hmm, tempted to keep it like that cause it sounds hilarious.
3905016 None taken, I knew some would hate him. He's a calculative, realistic, and 'to the numbers' kind of guy. Crea on the other hand is impulsive and keeps everything simple.
3905102 Despite being a researcher and all, he's got a militaristic mentality. Balancing out objectives and priority in order to choose which pawn to give up for the sake of victory.
A bit of history lesson: During WW2 the top general of the Allied Forces allowed Coventry, an English city, to be bombed despite knowing about the plan before hand. A lot of people died
. This is because they didn't want the enemy to know they've cracked their encryption system and was intercepting all their communications because the major landing invasion was about to happen. But in the end, the invasion was a success, and it all lead to victory. So was it right or wrong? Food for thought.
3905104 Ar-are you in my head?
Begone demon!!
But seriously, it's funny how close you are. 
3905136 I won't lie or pretend, the whole blue fire thing is a theme and nothing more. That's not to say there's no design. As SOMEONE had pointed out, fire represent power, destruction, and something that can burn you if don't respect it. As for Blue, it adds a mystical nature to it all and further pushes the notion of magic. But as for a deep, thought provoking meaning? Sorry, heck maybe it's just because my favorite color is blue.
3905236 Thank you
3905984>>3906095 I always remember that there's a massive time length in between new chapters and people can forget stuff. So every chapter I write have always kept that in mind, adding reminders and stuff. Don't worry, I'll explain who she is and everything.
3906314 Hardly. It's just a sort of, semi, partial explanation to a critical aspect of the main character. It's all adventure and comedy, with a bit of everything on top.
3906478 Realistically it's rather anticlimactic. When two dark holes draw close to each other, the bigger one just eats the smaller one. That's it.
3906579 Oh there were plenty more grammar/misspellings that created some hilarious stuff. Here's an old one I remember: "I went out and ate the guards."
3906638 Hmmm, I really want to go back and edit all the earlier chapters. But with all the I have to change, it'll just delay new chapters.
3907272
I wonder what the classic, GR, and Superstring solutions are to the result of a pair of equivalent blackholes on t point ofmerger, tat is event horizons almost intersecting, addingtheir orbiting velocit at the outer edge, if they are spinning on their axis at orbital velocity, as in if they were material, their surface would be in free fall, extremis conditions.
Thts an awful lot of gravity potential energy that has to be thrown away violenty on merger, and the only carrier is gravitons or intense gravitational shear waves.
At lest they wouldnt be shorting th two ends of a wormhole forming a closed time like loop and thowing all sorts of stuff and chaos into the surroundings.
Um.. Ill go sit in the corner.. sorry.
Fantastic chapter keep em comin
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120707113814/bakugan/images/c/c4/Jawdrop.gif
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmjjq8Ze621qii6tmo1_500.gif
3907272 i have a thing for these kind of things.
this is like the third fucking time i have managed to make a accurate description of a authors logic before it was established.
i must be psychic when it comes to fanfiction logic